Pussy Riot co-founder, activist and concept artist Nadya Tolokonnikova was placed on Russia’s wanted list for “criminal activity” after news of his latest performance work linked to Vladimir Putin began circulating earlier this year. Tolokonnikova filmed her collaborative performance “Putin’s Ashes” (2022) last August, showing herself and 11 other balaclava-clad women setting fire to a 10-foot effigy portrait of the Russian president in the desert.
After she and the group collectively cast spells to oust Putin from office, Tolokonnikova bottled the ashes of her burnt portrait and presented them with the short film at her first solo exhibition at the Jeffrey Deitch Gallery in Los Angeles last January.
“Coincidentally, my Instagram disappeared and this new criminal case was announced within a week of the show,” the entertainer said in a press release after finding out she was on the list. “The police detained friends and family, and my lawyers sent me the documents they found.”
In 2012, Tolokonnikova and two other members of Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in prison for “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” because of an impromptu concert at the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow.
Earlier this month, Russia reportedly opened a criminal investigation against Tolokonnikova on the grounds that an NFT she sold in 2021 “offended religious sensibilities”. The NFT was the image of a Hand drawn Virgin Mary resembling a vulva in addition to digitized records of sentencing documents at Tolokonnikova prison.
“Any truly political artist risks their personal safety for the sake of their art,” Tolokonnikova said. “It’s not a new concept for me. They threaten us but we cannot show our fear.
“I will use the tools I have as an artist and crypto enthusiast to keep fighting,” she added. “I’m not a soldier, I’m an artist, art is my weapon. Glad to see they’re scared.”
